Michigan State football coach Mark Dantonio, left, and athletic director Mark Hollis, right, lead the Spartans off their charter plan at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and into the desert where Saturday night's Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl awaits them.Mike Griffith | MLive.com

PHOENIX — Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio saw to it his players had ample time off to get rested up for the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl.

Dantonio allowed himself to smile for about five minutes after he and his team were greeted on Monday at the Sky Harbor International Airport by dozens of bowl representatives in yellow jackets, a Mariachi Band and a half-dozen Michigan State fans.

Now, it's time for the Spartans (6-6) to go back to work, as Saturday's 10:15 p.m. kick off against TCU (7-5) is fast approaching.

"We gave our guys three days off to come back today and do a little something at our (practice) facility,'' said Dantonio, who had his players taken straight from the airport to the practice field. "Then we'll get back into it Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.''

TCU coach Gary Patterson, 6-1 in his past seven bowl games, arrived with his team three hours earlier with a take-no-prisoners approach, saying he spelled bowl fun ''w-i-n.''

"I agree with him,'' Dantonio said, told of Patterson's aggressive opening comments. "He's absolutely right, when you win you tend to have a better experience.''

Dantonio found that out at the Outback Bowl last Jan. 2, when he collected his first bowl win as the Spartans' head coach with a 33-30 triple-overtime triumph over SEC power Georgia.

The stakes are even higher for Michigan State in this year's bowl game.

"It's going to make or break us right now, at 6-6, it makes the difference between a winning team and losing team right now,'' Dantonio said. "We have to be realistic about that and look at that aspect of it and deal with it.

"I've always tried to deal with the consequences of where we're at, and that's where we're at.''

Dantonio made it clear his measured approach to preparations for the game should not be misunderstood.

"Winning is at the forefront of what we want to do here,'' he said, "and that's been emphasized quite often of late.

"We will come to play and represent.''

While TCU got into its bowl preparations earlier and had more practices, Dantonio made Michigan State's practices count, having numerous live contact drills and scrimmages.

Dantonio continued to set the tone and bring a sense of urgency for his players by running gassers with the Spartans' offensive line at the end of Monday's practice, according to Michigan State Associate Athletics Director/Communications, John Lewandowski.